The Crucible - Literature Kit Gr. 9-12

Book excerpt: Step back in time to 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts and experience the corruption and ignorance of the Salem witch trials. Our resource is easily customizable, allowing educators to pick and choose elements to meet their needs. Focus on vocabulary comprehension by matching words from the text to their definitions. Test student understanding of the play by asking students to fill in the dialog with the missing words from the scene. Expand critical thinking skills with short-answer opinion questions. Supplement an existing unit with in-depth writing tasks, such as evaluating Reverend Hale's waning confidence in witchcraft that takes place throughout the play. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Crucible is the award-winning play written by Arthur Miller about the Salem witch trials of 1692. One night in Salem Massachusetts, a group of girls are caught dancing in the woods by Reverend Parris. His own daughter falls into a coma soon after, and the town is ablaze with talks of witchcraft. The Reverend sends for Reverend Hale to examine the girl for witchcraft. Hale concludes that the town of Salem is in fact engulfed in witchcraft as one by one the girls accuse other townspeople of communing with the devil. A trial ensues causing those accused to either deny these allegations, or confess, thus accusing someone else. This cycle finally culminates in the death of several innocent townsfolk. The Crucible is a historical dramatization of true events that show reputation is more important than admitting ignorance.